Monday, March 25, 2013

VON ORMY– Von Ormy and Somerset are natural rivals.The two cities are roughly the same size,similar in population and lie a mere three miles apart.The two cities have recently formed a joint-economic development partnership to turnthe 1604 corridor that connects them into a thriving business zone.But clearly not all the talk was about business.Von Ormychallenged Somerset to a friendly game of softball.

Mayor Paul Cuellar and the Somerset city council accepted the challenge by passing a resolution.

The game will be held Sunday, April 7, 2013 at Somerset City Park starting at 3 p.m. with a small tailgate party hosted by the Somerset Economic Development corporation.

Each team will consist of at least one city council member and one staff members and the rest residents of each city.The prize:bragging rights to the inaugural 1604 World Series.

Von Ormy Mayor Art Martinez de Vara noted, “The last time that we know of Somerset and Von Ormy meeting on a baseball diamond was May 9, 1922.In that game Somerset sneaked out a narrow 2 to 1 victory over Von Ormy.”

The San Antonio Express reported on that 1922 game, “it was a hard fought game throughout, with both teams fielding well.”Mayor Martinez de Vara said, “I think after 91 years, its time to revisit the matter.”

Somerset has asked each council member to nominate two city residents to play on the team with city staff and council members rounding out the lineup.Von Ormy published a call for players in its recent city newsletter and has council members and staff already signed up.

Somerset City ManagerMiguel Cantu said with a laugh, “I’ve already asked Von Ormy to concede.I told them they could try, but I don’t know.”

VON ORMY– The City of Von Ormy will hold its general election for City Council on Saturday, May 11, 2013.The positions of Mayor and 2 Council seats will be on the ballot.

Local attorney Art Martinez de Vara is running unopposed for a third term as Mayor.Martinez de Vara led the effort to form the city and has served as Mayor since the city’s inception.

Running for City Council Place 2 are Sammy Martinez, a retired postal worker and Carmina Aguilar, a retired civil engineering civil servant.

Running for City Council Place 4 are two former council members, Verna Hernandez, a local business owner and Alex Quintanilla who is a deputy sheriff with Bexar County.

Also on the ballot is a proposition to reauthorize the city’s 1/4 cent street maintenance sales tax.This sales tax was passed in 2008 with over 95% of voters approving.“The sales tax is paid primarily by non-residents who stop at our local restaurants and gas stations.By having them share the burden of maintaining our roads, we are able to keep property taxes lower,” Mayor Martinez de Vara said.

Early voting begins April 29th at all Bexar County early voting locations, including Somerset High School and South Park Mall.On election day, voting will occur at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. Due to redistricting, all Von Ormy residents vote at the same polling location on election day.

VON ORMY—At a special meeting March 23rd, the Von Ormy City Council passed a temporary commercial building freeze until the passage of a Zoning Ordinance.

Mayor Art Martinez de Vara told the Star, “We just could not wait any further and risk additional industrial and heavy commercial uses from being built in ourresidential and commercial corridors.”

When completed, the city’s zoning ordinance will establish zones within the city where certain uses are allowed and others prohibited.

Martinez de Vara said, “The goal is to protect the health and safety of residents by preventing certain uses in our residential neighborhoods.Noise, environmental hazards and heavy traffic have no place in residential areas.Our business community has also asked us to zone in order to preserve the commercial base in our I-35corridor, which would be greatly disrupted by industrial uses.For example, few would like to eat at a restaurant that was next to a chemical plant, or shop near the loud noise of a recycling plant.”

Zoning will also allow the city to restrict sexually oriented business.

The freeze does not apply to residential construction, public utilities or public uses.

VON ORMY—On Saturday, April 20, 2013 8 AM to 2 PM, Tiger Sanitation customers within Von Ormy city limits will have an opportunity to dump bulk brush, old appliances, metal and general trash.Dumpster Day will take place next to the Von Ormy Post Office.

Please come ready to provide a Tiger Sanitation bill along with a valid ID as proof of residency and proof that you are a Tiger Sanitation customer. Batteries and tires will be collected at a charge of $1 per item. Tiger Sanitation will notbe collecting paint or other hazardous materials.

For more information on how to get rid of hazardous materials you may call theHousehold Hazardous Waste Pick Up Hotline at 1-800-HHW-PKUP (1-800-449-7587)

VON ORMY—Von Ormy City Council approved the commissioning of two additional Deputy City Marshals at its March 6th meeting. Christopher Zelinsky and Tabitha Geurrero weresworn in by Mayor Martinez de Vara at the meeting. This brings the number of officers in the City Marshal’s Office to twelve.

The Jarret Volunteer Fire Department announced the following promotions this March.Chris Zelinsky, also a Von Ormy Deputy Marshal, was promoted to Captain.Dana Rapstine was promoted to Captain. Nichole Martinez was promoted to Lieutenant.David Gonzales was promoted to Assistant Chief.

Jarret continued installing reflective street addresses in the city, adding to Von Ormy Rd and Quarterhorse this month.

District 28-3A has 3 outstanding teams this year! Pleasanton is one of the top ranked teams in the state, with Somerset and La Vernia also racking up the wins!

Pleasanton is undefeated at 13-0, La Vernia is 13-2, and Somerset is 13-3. Poteet has won a few, but is struggling along with Sam Houston, and Hawkins. It looks like this district will send three extremely tough teams into the playoffs this year. We'll see how district games play out. Poteet, Sam Houston , and Hawkins will have to play strong to break into one of the three playoff spots this year. This is the last year for only three teams making the playoffs in baseball, next year 3A goes to a four team playoff format.

Brandon Kerr and Donny Perez lead the team in batting, Brandon is hitting at a huge .476 average, with Donny right behind at .469. Brett Wilson is third at .381, and Koy Detmer close at .343.

Donny Perez has an amazing 27 RBI's, which is currently second in San Antonio! Brett Wilson has 13, Brandon Kerr 12, and Justin Camarillo 11! The Bulldogs have been hitting well with runners on base!

Once they get on base, these Bulldogs just get started! Brandon Kerr has a team leading 16 stolen bases! Koy Detmer has 13, and has never been caught stealing this season! Brett Wilson has 10 this year!

The pitching has been strong this year, with Brett Wilson currently tied for 1st place in San Antonio with 4 wins! Brett is also second in San Antonio with 42 strikeouts in 22 innings! Tyler Sollohub has 3 wins, and has pitched strong with 26 strikeouts. Donny Perez has been a great addition to the pitching staff, returning to pitching after not pitching since youth leagues, finding a knuckle ball with great movement.

After arriving late from the basketball teams playoff run, Koy Detmer and Justin Camarillo have turned in some huge pitching performances, with Koy showing a big curve ball in a recent game.

Defensively, Tyler Sollohub has been a wall at catcher this year. Tyler has thrown out base runners at every base with accurate throws on a line. Josh Ramos has made some big catches in the outfield.

Somerset Softball

Brett Wilson Sr.

The Lady Bulldogs are 21-3! Wow! Kayla Kerr is one of the top players in the state! Kayla is batting a team leading .571, with 27 RBI's! She is leading San Antonio in RBI's, and 2nd in wins! She has 17 wins pitching, with 94 strikeouts!

Dominique Sandoval is not far behind in hitting the ball, batting .563 and has 22 RBI's! Jackie Martinez, Emily Castro, and Giselle Flores are all hitting over .400! Several players are also hitting over .300. Somerset is leading San Antonio in team RBI's and wins!

The Southwest Dragons 2013 baseball team started this season strong! At one point, Southwest was ranked in the top 10 in San Antonio. Normally, sitting at 9-6 would be a good thing. However, with all 6 teams going into district with records over .500, this may be the toughest 5-A district in Texas this year!

Corpus Christi Carroll is 9-2, Corpus Christi King is 7-4, East Central is 10-2, South San is 8-6, and Steele is 10-9.

John Eric Cortez is having a great year hitting the ball, leading the team in batting with an average over .400. Durann Petino, and Chipper Lamm are not far behind, both batting over .300. Cortez and Lamm also have 10 RBI's each. Juan Carlos Hernandez and Eli Pacheco have hit the ball well in limited at bats. JJ Salinas is leading the team with 7 stolen bases.

John Eric Cortez and Dominick Lopez have been getting the bulk of the pitching duty. Both have over 24 innings, with Cortez getting 37 strikeouts so far this season! John Eric is tied for 1st place in San Antonio with 4 wins this year!

Defensively, Joseph Cerda is looking good at shortstop, JJ Salinas is playing good in the outfield, and Javier Morales is solid at catcher.

New Coach John Velasquez seems to have the teams heading in the right direction this year, a huge improvement over last season. The players seem to appreciate the new coach, and it shows in their play.

In a recent game against Holy Cross, a good team with a winning record, the Dragons exploded to dominate the game. John Eric pitched the whole game, shutting down the Holy Cross batters.

Chipper Lamm and Durann Petino hit home runs, with Petino's going over the left field fence for 350 yards, past the fence and into the street.

This is a hit from Dominick Lopez from the Holy Cross game.

Southwest Softball

Brett Wilson Sr.

The Dragon's softball team has been dominating this year! Currently in first place in district 28-5A with a record of 19-3!

Caitlin Terrazas is having a great year, with 10 wins already for the season! Caitlin has a low 1.63 ERA, and a big 50 strikeout season, with district play just starting!

Kamerie Vidales is leading the team with a .476 batting average. Amanda Sanchez, Elizabeth Phillips, and Miranda Medina are all also batting .400 or above!The Southwest Dragon softball is having a great 2013 season, Go Dragon Softball!